Improvement in hand corn-planters



A. C. KENT.

Improvement in Hand Corn Pl anter s.

No. 125,306. PatentedAprH2,1872.

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ARTHUR O. KENT, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.125,306, dated April 2, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR O. KENT, of J anesville, in the county of Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters; and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section on the line as a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 2 z of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 shows a plan and an edge view of the dropper; and Fig. 6 gives like views of the dropper-casing.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention applies more especially to hand corn-planters; and it consists, principally,'in the employment, upon the upper face of the dropper and within the seed-box, of a conical agitator, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified. It consists. further, in combining with said agitatorand dropper an operatingrod and a covering-brush, substanti ally as and for the purpose hereinafter shown. It consists finally, in a corn-planter having its operating-rod, dropper, agitator, and gauge constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawing, A represents a cylindrical hopper, constructed preferably. of sheet metal, and having its upper and lower ends closed by means of wooden blocks B and 0, respectively. The lower block 0 is provided with three longitudinal openings, 0, c, and c, the object of which will be hereafter explained,

I and has attached upon one of its sides a bill,

D, of usual form, the inclined portion or movable side of which, D, is formed of spring metal and secured at its upper end only, so as I to allow its lower end to be pressed freely outward. The vertical face of the bill D extends slightly beyond the transverse center of the block 0, while its inclined face projects outward beyond said block, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and forms at the upper end of said bill an open space, d. Attached to and extending upward from the upper end of the block 0 is a short cylinder of sheet metal, E, having about one-half of its upper end inclosed, as shown in Fig. 6, and provided with a central tube, F, which extends vertically upward from the cover E. A portion, e, of the cover E is raised and inclosed upon its sides and rear, so as to form a space, 0, in front of which is secured a brush, G, the bristles of which extend downward to or slightly below the cover E. Resting upon the upper end of the block and within the casing E is a circular metal disk, H, which corresponds in diameter to the interior of the latter, and is provided with a square central opening, h. The sides of the opening it are slightly winding, so as to cause them to conform to the faces of a twisted rod, I that passes upward through the opening 0 of the block 0, and through said opening it, and is connected with a round rod or pipe, I, that extends through the block B, and is provided upon its upper end with a handle, K. As thus arranged it will be seen that by moving the rod upward or downward a rotary motion will be given to the disk, the direction and extent of which will be deter mined by the turn of the screw-faces of the rod. The disk H, thus constructed and operated, forms the dropper of the device, and is provided with a circular opening, h, which corresponds in size and radial position with the opening 0 of the block 0, and is so arranged as that when the rod I is depressed said opening h shall occupy a position just outside of the cover E, upon the side opposite to the brush G, and when said rod is raised said opening shall pass beneath said brush and coincide with said opening 0. If, now, grain be supplied to the hopper and the rod. I moved alternately up and down, the opening within the dropper will alternately fill with grain and discharge the same into the opening in the block, and through the same into the bill. In order that the grain that falls into the bill may be forced therefrom into the ground, a plunger, L, having a width equal to the space between the sides of said bill, and a thickness of about one-half of an inchis secured to or upon the lower end of the rod I and works with the same, and upon its downward stroke carrieswith it the grain that was dropped into the bill at the termination of the upper stroke. In practice it has been found that the weight of the grain would frequently cause it to become wedged at its lower end, so

as to prevent the opening within the dropper from becoming filled. To remedy this difficulty a conical stud, M, is provided upon the upper face of the dropper, and, as the latter rotates, operates both horizontally and vertically, and eifectually agitates and loosens the grain. It being desirable that the grain as it drops into the bill should be so spread as to cause each grain to occupy a separate place within the ground a A-sha-ped ledge, N, is secured upon the inner face of the inclined side of said bill, with its sloping sides placed at a right angle to the line of the lower portion of the space. As thus arranged. the grain is divided and thrown in opposite directions to-. ward the sides of the bill, and when at rest within the lower end of the same is found to be disposed at regular intervals. In order that the depth at which the grain is to be planted may be regulated at will, a rod, 0, is fitted within the opening '0 of the block 0 and held in vertical position by means of a set-screw, 0. Attached to the lower end of the rod 0 is a foot, 0, which. has sufficient horizontal dimensionsto enable it, when resting upon the ground, to arrest the downward motion of the whole device, so that by adjusting upward or downward the gauge thus formed a greater or less depth of penetration will be secured for the same hill with and at the same time as the corn, to accomplish which result a tube, P, provided with an upper funnel-shaped end, is

secured upon one side of the hopper A, and I extending downward has its lower end op ening into the open end of the bill. By means of this tube any desired number of seeds may be deposited within the bill with each charge of corn; or, if desired, the device may be used for planting such seed separately.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new l. The conical stud or agitator M, secured upon and combined with the dropper H, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The hereinhefore-described corn-planter, in which the agitator M is combined with the dropper H, the operating-rod I, and the brush G, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

. Witnesses: ARTHUR 0. KENT.

DANIEL OLow, I. KAVANAGII. 

